Peace....
Philip. 4:2-9 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. [3] Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
[4] Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! [5] Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. [6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
[8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. [9] Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
So many of our conflicts start because we obsess on the little things, like status and position, who gets the credit or the blame, whose idea is used, who gets seen to be the person in charge. I wonder if that is what Paul is referring to here when he mentions these ladies, Euodia and Syntyche, that their efforts to further the Gopsel are being undermined by the disagreement between them. How we are seen to handle conflict is important, and the truth is that through the ages we haven’t always been very good at it….
Paul’s hope that when there is disagreement then what is evident to anyone looking in, is not cleverness of speech and argument, but gentleness of spirit. Gentleness is a quality that Paul calls for five times in his writings and he places a high value on it. It is not to be confused with weakness, nor should it be seen as timidity. In fact to display gentleness requires strength of character and a real trust in God. To be gentle is to be kind and amicable. It is not to be rough, severe or violent. It is to have an absent of bad temper.
So how do we acquire gentleness in our lives? Paul’s answer is once more to look up to God, and to spend time in his presence. A mark of gentleness is peace. Those who know that the future is in safe hands will act with grace towards those around them. So when there is conflict gather those who are in disagreement and look up to God. Present the issue to him and wait on him for an answer, knowing that those who put his will into practice will be walking a path of peace, knowing they are following in the footsteps of God.
It is in looking up that Paul closes this section. Don’t focus on the petty and the mundane, but look up to heaven and see the goodness that is there and when you do, aim to imitate that goodness here on earth. In a sense it is ‘brainwashing’. I don’t mean mind control, but just training your thoughts to focus on the goodness of God rather than the corruptness of the world around us. And when we learn to put that goodness into action, in our own lives and in the lives of our communities then we will find that conflict has been replaced by the peace of God falling on us all.
[4] Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! [5] Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. [6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
[8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. [9] Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
So many of our conflicts start because we obsess on the little things, like status and position, who gets the credit or the blame, whose idea is used, who gets seen to be the person in charge. I wonder if that is what Paul is referring to here when he mentions these ladies, Euodia and Syntyche, that their efforts to further the Gopsel are being undermined by the disagreement between them. How we are seen to handle conflict is important, and the truth is that through the ages we haven’t always been very good at it….
Paul’s hope that when there is disagreement then what is evident to anyone looking in, is not cleverness of speech and argument, but gentleness of spirit. Gentleness is a quality that Paul calls for five times in his writings and he places a high value on it. It is not to be confused with weakness, nor should it be seen as timidity. In fact to display gentleness requires strength of character and a real trust in God. To be gentle is to be kind and amicable. It is not to be rough, severe or violent. It is to have an absent of bad temper.
So how do we acquire gentleness in our lives? Paul’s answer is once more to look up to God, and to spend time in his presence. A mark of gentleness is peace. Those who know that the future is in safe hands will act with grace towards those around them. So when there is conflict gather those who are in disagreement and look up to God. Present the issue to him and wait on him for an answer, knowing that those who put his will into practice will be walking a path of peace, knowing they are following in the footsteps of God.
It is in looking up that Paul closes this section. Don’t focus on the petty and the mundane, but look up to heaven and see the goodness that is there and when you do, aim to imitate that goodness here on earth. In a sense it is ‘brainwashing’. I don’t mean mind control, but just training your thoughts to focus on the goodness of God rather than the corruptness of the world around us. And when we learn to put that goodness into action, in our own lives and in the lives of our communities then we will find that conflict has been replaced by the peace of God falling on us all.
posted by Gordon at
10:39 am
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